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Macomb, Illinois
Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg. The city is about 75 miles southwest of Peoria, IL and 77 miles southeast of the Quad Cities.http://www.wiu.edu/about/ The population was 22,086https://www.cityofmacomb.com/about_macomb.html at the 2010 census. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University. Geography Macomb is located at (40.460501, -90.674048). The East Fork Lamoine River flows past the northern part of the city. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which (or 96.13%) is land and (or 3.87%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 18,558 people, 6,575 households, and 2,952 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,884.2 people per square mile (727.4/km²). There are 7,037 housing units at an average density of 714.5 per square mile (275.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.73% White, 5.93% African American, 3.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 2.10% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,575 households out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77. In the city the population was spread out with 12.6% under the age of 18, 42.9% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,994, and the median income for a family was $42,069. Males had a median income of $27,663 versus $21,780 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,470. 29.1% of the population and 12.2% of families were below the poverty line. 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. History Origin First settled in 1829 on a site tentatively named Washington, the town was officially founded in 1830 as the county seat of McDonough County and given the name Macomb after General Alexander Macomb, a general in the War of 1812. War veterans were given land grants in the Macomb area, which was part of the "Military Tract" set aside by Congress. In 1855 the Northern Cross Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, was constructed through Macomb, leading to a rise in the town's population. In 1899 the Western Illinois State Normal School, later Western Illinois University, was founded in Macomb. Representative Lawrence Sherman was instrumental in locating the school in Macomb. In 1903 the Macomb and Western Illinois Railway was built from Macomb to nearby Industry and Littleton by local financier Charles V. Chandler, though this railroad was abandoned in 1930. In 1918, construction on Illinois Route 3 was begun as a state financed highway from Cairo to Rock Island through Macomb; in the late 1920s U.S. Route 67 was extended along this route to Dubuque, Iowa. Presidential visits Macomb has been visited by several US Presidents over the years. Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt have all made short addresses in Macomb. On two occasions, Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama addressed large audiences prior to their election as president. Obama was actually stumping for state senate at the time, meaning a president or presidential nominee has not visited Macomb in 109 years and counting. St. Louis Rams Summer Camp Macomb was home to the St. Louis Rams' football summer training camp from 1996-2004. In 2005, the Rams decided to move summer training to their own facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, ending the nine-year relationship.Wagoner, Nick. "Rams Move Training Camp Back to St. Louis," April 24, 2005 (accessed January 30, 2007). Filmings in Macomb *''Cast in Gray'' (2005) *''Wife Swap'' (2006) Notable people * William Birenbaum (1923–2010), college administrator who served as president of Antioch College * Michael Boatman, actor * Phil Bradley, Major League Baseball player (1983–1990) * Charles Clarke Chapman (1853–1944) businessman; first mayor of Fullerton, California; founder of Chapman University * Marcus Dunstan, screenwriter * Joe Garner, six-time New York Times Bestselling author of non-fiction pop culture history * John Mahoney, actor * Ty Margenthaler, assistant coach with the Wisconsin Badgers women's basketball team * Red Miller, former head coach of the NFL Denver Broncos and USFL Denver Gold * Michael Norman, author of the "Haunted" book series * Todd Purdum, correspondent, editor Vanity Fair, New York Times * Al Sears, jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader * Dr. Henry Wells, author, professor and expert on Latin America politics * Rev. C.T. Vivian, minister and American civil rights leader Transportation * Macomb (Amtrak station) * Go West Transit * Go West Transit Live Bus Tracking Attractions and entertainment * The Forum Music Concerts * WIU Sporting Events * Geology Museum * The Old Bailey House * University Art Gallery Museum * Western Illinois Museum * Convention Bureau * Macomb Community Theater * Macomb Balloon Rally Events * February - WIU Ag Mech Show, WIU Jazz Festival * June - Macomb Heritage Days * September - Macomb Balloon Rally, Al Sears Jazz Festival * October - WIU Homecoming Parade, WIU Dad's Weekend Fishing Tournament * November - Festival of Trees * December - / Dickens on the Square Outdoor recreation * Argyle Lake State Park (located in nearby Colchester) * Harry Mussatto Golf Course * Lakeview Nature Center * Macomb Park District * Spring Lake Park Higher education * Western Illinois University * Spoon River College, Macomb campus Newspapers * The McDonough County Voice, daily newspaper * Western Courier Manufacturing * NTN-Bower Corporation * Pella Windows * Whalen Manufacturing Notes External links * City of Macomb, Illinois (official site) Category:Cities in Illinois Category:Cities in McDonough County, Illinois Category:Micropolitan areas of Illinois Category:County seats in Illinois Category:Macomb, Illinois Category:University towns in the United States Category:Settlements established in 1829